Tacky in Trouble

Tacky #3

by Helen Lester

Tacky the Penguin goes windsurfing and almost ends up as a centerpiece when an elephant mistakes his floral shirt for a bouquet of flowers, in this hilarious jungle mix-up by the author of "Tacky the Penguin". Full color.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Humor, 1st Grade, Fantasy

Paperback

First published April 27, 1998

About the author

Helen Lester is the author of many children’s books. Her background with children includes being a mother of two and a former elementary school teacher of ten years. While at home with her children, Helen realized the importance of quality children’s literature. Helen started her writing career as a struggling author facing many rejections by publishing companies. Her first book was finally published in 1979. Helen Lester is a full-time writer who makes her home in New York.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect - penguins whose ice-block building, napkin folding, feather combing, and ballroom dancing skills were beyond compare - take a nap one day, their oddball companion decides to go surfing. And so begins an unexpected voyage to a tropical land, where penguin meets pachyderm, and where (as usual) Tacky's gift for making a mess comes in handy...

Following upon Tacky the Penguin and Three Cheers for Tacky , this third adventure featuring the lovable bird with a mind - and a personality - all his own, continues to emphasize the virtue of non-conformity. But although Lester's narrative is entertaining enough, and Lynn Munsinger's watercolor illustrations continue to charm, somehow I wasn't quite as taken with Tacky in Trouble, as I had been with the previous two. It felt a little repetitive, as if Lester were telling the same story over again. Still, I'm going to hope that this is a weak installment, as I plan to continue reading in the series. We shall see...

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've read many of the books in the Tacky series by Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger. We love Tacky's crazy clothes and antics and we can appreciate his uniqueness. The stories are humorous and fun to read aloud and the illustrations are hilarious. We thought this story, with Tacky's trip to a tropical locale, was a fun addition to the series.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like Tacky the penguin, then this book is fun. He surfs to a warmer land and meets an elephant who thinks Tacky must be a bunch of flowers and is told to prove he is a penguin. Tacky marches, belly slides and hops like penguins or like he does and makes a terrible mess in the process. But in the end, things all work out. The elephant just wanted something nice and colorful and Tacky made it. Tacky returns home. The adventure is fun and my 5 year old loved it. I think my favorite part was when it goes back to Tacky's friends and they say, "Life just hadn't been the same without Tacky. Everything was so orderly, and they were tired of patting each other on the back and whispering, 'What is happening?' Nothing was happening." Just a little bit of sentiment for how he was missed and how they tried to be more like Tacky but just were not very good at it.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book that shows how much we need those fun-loving people in our lives.

** Talking Points: Are you more like Tacky or more like Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly and Perfect? Has that aspect in you changed over time? Tacky has a lot of courage and a lot of go with the flow in him. How are you on those qualities? Was Elephant kind? How could she have been kinder?

** Essential Oil Pairing Tip: I'd diffuse 3 drops of doTERRA's Cheer essential oil blend and 2 drops of Bergamot (The Oil of Self-acceptance). It's a winning combination to diffuse, especially if you're the one that others think are tacky.

[Katie Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

K - 2nd
Fiction

I love the Tacky books, but if you're starting with this one, it seems to just jump in assuming you know who the penguins are, so it's a bit confusing at first. But I love that the penguins are all named Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, Perfect and then you get Tacky. So you know what kind of adventures you're about to have! Poor Tacky, with a name like that, was doomed from the beginning. In this story he meets a large, confused, elephant named Rocky! A fun book in the Tacky series.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uh oh. Tacky's colorful shirt gets full of air and he sails up to Africa on a wild adventure.

Ages: 4 - 8

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!

Visit my website!

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a huge fan of the Tacky books, but I have to admit that I did like this one. Pulled for a unit on elephants, I found this to be a pretty cute little read. The fancy tablecloths reminded me of the painting elephants do, too, which was a nice bonus.

[Michelle Glenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was not my favorite. Although "Tacky the Penguin" was funny and interesting, for me, this book did not follow. It was long and drawn out, not appropriate for younger children. Dated pictures and too many words.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tacky was not like the other penguins but did everything louder and with more enthusiasm. When he went surfing and ended up in a strange place he finds himself with a problem. Cute story.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite Tacky book, but it was cute.

[Krissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son loves these Tacky books.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alissa loved Tacky's flowered shirt.

[kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

too long, too blah

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tacky's usual companions - Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly & Perfect - don't get much attention in this book but it is still a fun story with colorful & amusing illustrations

[Adrianne Rosal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another adventure for Tacky the penguin.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children need creative outlets for their imagination and Tacky the penguin does this with his adventure. His friends realize Tacky is who he is and love him for it.

[Alexis Allinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tacky in Trouble had great reviews and many of my friends love this books from their childhood, so I had to pick it up. I really enjoyed this book and the illustrations. I enjoyed how Tacky was a unique character who didn't fallow the rules. Tacky was a very colorful character, from the clothes he wore to his personality. This books takes you on a crazy adventure with Tacky. Because Tacky doesn't fallow the rules and does what he wants, not what others want. He ends up sailing across the see and landing on an island. When all Tacky's friends just want to take a nap, he wants to go be active and go surfing and it takes him on an adventure where he meets Rocky, the elephant. I really enjoyed this book and think students would also enjoy it for many reasons. I think children would enjoy the book for its story and the adventure it takes you on. The books is humors as it is about the friendship between an elephant and a penguin. Students could also enjoy Tacky the character as much as I did, his character keeps things exciting. I would love to have this book in my classroom and Tacky has several other books so students would read them all.

[Angela Hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tacky is a penguin that get whisked away to tropical island. On the island, Tacky is hoping on rocks until he lands on one that is actually an elephant. Well, the elephants falls in love with Tacky's flower shirt and decides to use him as a bouquet on the table for a centerpiece. Finally, Tacky has to prove to the elephant that he is actually penguin. If he cannot convince him, he will not be able to go home. Tacky finally makes it home to all of his friends on another ocean breeze. I like this book because of the adventure that Tacky takes in the story. This would be a great book to help teach predicting skills.

[Hend Alalwani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Age range: 4-8
Personal Reaction:
- I enjoyed reading this book very much because it involves the readers with the story and make the reader get attached to the story.
Purpose:
-Read aloud to four years old children for different purposes:
-It is about being brave and discovers other places. Also, Tacky wasn’t afraid to be in new place and meet new creatures. He was in trouble with Rocky he used his dancing moves to illustrate the tablecloth to get his shirt to go back home.
Curriculum:
-Read aloud; discuss how Tacky is not afraid to adventure the world. Also it is great story for practice dialog.

[Breana Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a penguin who is very different from the other penguins. He embraces his difference and does not hold back. One day he get blown away while surfing and met an elephant who did not know what a penguin was, and he showed her by making a messy but beautiful table cloth. when he returns home he then realizes that he was missed. The penguins who thought that he was too weird noticed that he actually is the only thing that makes their lives interesting and fun. This story teaches kids to not be afraid of being different, and others need people who are a little different to make life more fun.

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this story to a second grade class

First of all, I would like to disclose that I LOVE Tacky! I keep discovering more books and the more I discover the happier I am! In this adventure, Tacky goes windsurfing on an iceberg. By the time he arrives at a tropical island, his iceberg is the size of an ice cube.

Tacky encounters a huge, gray rock in this empty, gray place. Unfortunately, the gray rock moves and trumpets with her trunk and wants Tacky for her flower vase. While Tacky tries to avoid giving up his beautiful (tacky) beach shirt, the elephant throws lots of multi-colored food at him.

Tacky ends up back home with all of his well-mannered, well-behaved friends!

[Kimberlee Gutterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite thing about this book that was sort of a wink to the audience is that the penguin's name is Tacky because how he looks and acts could be described as tacky by the other penguins because he is kind of an outsider. I also found it interesting that he didn't know what the other animals were and kept describing them as weird penguins. I liked this because in other books people assume animals know about other animals but if they're never exposed to them then how are they supposed to know what they are? And this book kept it real. The soft, watercolor illustrations and simple story line make this a good choice for reading aloud to any age.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this one.

Tacky, being different from the other penguins, decides to go surfing while they nap. And he ends up in Africa, where he's promptly picked up as an elephant who thinks he's a bouquet! Naturally, his odd behavior saves the day and he ends up home.

What I love about this book is that the other penguins are clearly shown missing him while he's gone, not because he's useful to him (as so often is the storyline), but because he's Tacky.

[Trista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tacky finds himself in a heap of trouble after surfing away from his island and winding up on a tropical island where he thinks an elephant is a large rock. The elephant wants a bouquet of flowers on his table and thinks that Tacky in his Hawaiian shirt is the perfect specimen. But, alas, Tacky needs to go home to his friends Goodly, Lovely, Neatly, and Perfect. Tacky stories are always enjoyable.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one: the prose isn’t as crisp, efficient or funny, the plot seems to have less purpose, the drama more forced. The story is longer, with a lot more words, but there are fewer actual jokes, and many are repeats from the first book.

But the art is still charming and fun, and Tacky is still a nice, odd bird to have around.

[Upstatemamma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Tacky book we ever read. We love it. It has really cute little songs in it and it is just fun to read. My son asked for it everyday for weeks on end. Then he asked us to find other Tacky books.

[Liz B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book in the Tacky series. My students love these books! Tacky travels on a piece of ice to another place and meets an elephant that wants to keep Tacky's shirt. Tacky's odd ways help him out in the end.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

28 months - we own one tacky book that O really likes so I grabbed this one when I saw it at the thrift store for $1. A good story but it seemed a bit wordy and long, certainly a story I'll be bored of after a few reads but O enjoys it.

[Jenni Frencham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Tacky and his friends. The books are funny and enjoyable for the adult reading them aloud and for the child listening. And Tacky teaches us to be friends with everyone, even those who are different.